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Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has said he is “pretty positive” Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will stay but said it is the club’s “responsibility to make him feel this is the right next step in his career.”
In an interview with Telefoot on Sunday, Aubameyang said he is yet to be offered a new deal despite his existing contract expiring next summer, as ESPN reported last week.
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The Arsenal captain is the club’s top goalscorer this season but has been repeatedly linked with several clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Arteta said that the club continue to be in regular dialogue with Aubameyang and his representatives and ahead of the Premier League return with Arsenal’s trip to Manchester City on Wednesday, the Spaniard is confident a solution can be found.
“We have many discussions with Pierre, his family and agent,” Arteta said in a prematch news conference held via Zoom on Monday. “I am pretty positive that we can find the right agreement for all parties.
“I think it’s our responsibility to make him feel that this is the right next step in his career. In order to do that he needs to feel valued, I think he needs to feel that he belongs to us and we want him.
“And then he really needs to believe we can take this club forward in the way we want to do and he’s going to be a key player to do that.
“At the moment I am extremely happy about the way he is performing and behaving. I think I have a really good relationship with him where we can discuss face to face a lot of things. So far, as far as I’m aware, I think he’s very happy at the club.”
Arteta also said the delay in discussing Aubameyang’s future was down to the coronavirus pandemic and various financial complications which have included Arsenal becoming the only league club to agree a wage cut with their first-team squad as opposed to a deferral, totalling 12.5% for 12 months.
“I think in a different context we would have liked to do things much quicker but we have been handed really tight [circumstances] with time and communication as well,” he added.
“Obviously, these unprecedented times brings a lot of uncertainty. It’s getting clearer and clearer every day that we are a step closer to get back playing football and we are going to move forward.”